The present invention relates to convection ovens, and, more particularly, to a self-cleaning convection oven.
Convection ovens are commonly used in the restaurant industry for cooking a variety of food products. Of course, in the restaurant environment, it is important that there be an efficient way to clean food preparation equipment, including convection ovens. Conventional self-cleaning ovens generally employ a pyrolytic self-cleaning operation that relies on the incineration of all residue in the oven by heating the interior of the oven to approximately 1000° F. and maintaining the oven at that temperature for several hours. Then, after the oven cools down, any ash can be swept out of the oven. Although such a pyrolytic self-cleaning operation is common in ovens designed for home use, it is not used in commercial applications. Specifically, although several manufacturers have attempted to employ a pyrolytic self-cleaning operation in commercial ovens, none have proved successful. This is primarily because of certain technical challenges, such as (i) the impact of repeated thermal expansion and contraction cycles on the structural components resulting from executing the self-cleaning operation on a daily basis, and (ii) the difficulty in maintaining the temperature of the electronic and electromechanical components within their design limits when the interior of the oven is elevated to 1000° F. Because of such technical challenges, it would be desirable to develop a self-cleaning convection oven that does not rely on elevated heating and the incineration of all residue in the oven.